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Spanish mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
- Best of all
- Atlantic croaker71
- Spot71
- Atlantic tarpon69
- Gray snapper67
- Crevalle jack66
- Red drum66
- King mackerel62
- Summer flounder62
- Southern flounder61
- Florida pompano59
- Spotted seatrout59
- Black drum58
- Red snapper57
- Spanish mackerel55
- Weakfish55
- Black sea bass54
- Gray triggerfish54
- Sheepshead54
- Gag grouper53
- Red grouper52
- Cobia51
- Little tunny51
- Greater amberjack48
- Bluefish35
Best score today · 8 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 552 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Yacht Basin scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Saturday, Oct 3 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
98Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 5 kt ESEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
99Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
60Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spanish mackerel is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NCDMF before you keep a fish.
Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spanish mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for Spanish mackerel · 5 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Yacht Basin
- Depth
- 3-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSpanish mackerel
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.
About this spot
Fishing Yacht Basin
Yacht Basin is a bay in Neuse and Bay Rivers, North Carolina. Depth is 3-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 24 species here; the best right now are Atlantic croaker, spot and Atlantic tarpon. It is peak season now for Atlantic croaker, spot, Atlantic tarpon and gray snapper, and shoulder season for Florida pompano, black drum, red snapper and Spanish mackerel. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October. Spot peak from September through October. Atlantic tarpon peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- Spot
- Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Crab Point Thorofare75
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 75
- Atlantic tarpon 73
- Spot 72
8 kt NNEH 5:56 AM · 3.2 ftL 12:01 PM · 0.8 ft
- Calico Creek73
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 73
- Spot 73
- Red drum 71
8 kt NNEH 5:56 AM · 3.2 ftL 12:01 PM · 0.8 ft
- Calico Bay71
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 71
- Spot 71
- Atlantic tarpon 69
8 kt NNEH 5:56 AM · 3.2 ftL 12:01 PM · 0.8 ft
- Willis Point66
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerPeak season- Atlantic croaker 66
- Spot 66
- Atlantic tarpon 65
8 kt NNEH 5:56 AM · 3.2 ftL 12:01 PM · 0.8 ft
Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with NCDMF before you keep a fish.